KaloCyte, co-founded by UMSOM’s Dr. Allan Doctor, is collaborating with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and multiple academic and industry partners on a $46.4 million, four-year DARPA-funded program to develop next-generation trauma care solutions, including ErythroMer, a shelf-stable, freeze-dried artificial red blood cell substitute.

The project brings together multiple universities and biotech partners to develop a portable blood substitute that combines artificial red blood cells, synthetic platelets, and freeze-dried plasma. Using AI and advanced modeling, the goal is to produce a product that can stabilize patients and save lives when donor blood is unavailable or too slow to deliver.

Based at the University of Maryland BioPark, KaloCyte operates out of Connect Labs and collaborates with the School of Medicine’s Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis. While technologies like ErythroMer show strong promise for addressing blood shortages, challenges around cost, scaling, and safety remain before widespread clinical use.

Watch Defense News Weekly Episode: Inside KaloCyte’s Lab Creating Synthetic Blood 4.21.26